The Virus Within: The Road Ahead (Book 1 - SERIES COMPLETED!)

Chapter 44

The faint sound of footsteps on the stairs woke me out of my light doze, although I instantly recognized them as Daniel's. After a quick deliberation, I pretended to be asleep. I had been napping, after all, and there was a chance it would reduce such visitations if he thought I was napping most of the afternoon when I was on the roof.

He was walking more quietly than usual, as if to avoid overly disturbing me, even though his normal footsteps were quieter than a human's simply because he was a Terror. I sat still with shallow, even breaths as he approached the door to the roof. It had a glass window on it, so he could see me before reaching the door.

When he turned the handle, I slightly jerked my head in his direction, as if I had been awoken from sleep. He blinked in surprise as he continued to twist the knob and open the door.

He walked over to one of the farther chairs without saying anything. My instincts cared for his presence even less now that I wondered if he was part of whatever was going on. Out of habit, I scanned the tree line as Daniel sat down.

He broke the silence and quietly asked, "How are you holding up?"

I was very glad that mindreading wasn't a skill Terrors possessed. If I hadn't been suspicious before, his casual and almost concerned question would have caught my attention since it came out of nowhere. At best, we had tolerated each other's presence for most of our trip. This behavior was out of character for him.

Sure, I could see Kelly or Travis showing concern like this, but the three of us had been at ease with each other's company. Daniel and I weren't what I'd call friends. I wasn't even sure if we counted as acquaintances or had something closer to a truce. Nor did he strike me as the type for such heart-to-heart conversations, so I kind of suspected Nina had sent him up to check how I was doing.

I shrugged with disinterest. "Well enough."

"No one's bothering you, I hope."

"No, they're surprisingly... welcoming." The words came slowly as I cloaked them with a tone of confusion. I waited for his response, wondering if it would be different from the explanation I'd received in the kitchen.

He sighed and looked toward the forest as well. "This is one of about three places I've found that appreciates a zombie's skills, and Ironwind is – by far – the most enthusiastic about welcoming us in. They know our presence greatly increases their chances of survival if ferals show up, and I'm sure they've invited you to stay since they think you're just traveling. Nina asked the radio crew to keep the transmissions a secret, but otherwise, that sort of thing is yours to tell or not. If there is something that will make it easier for you during your stay, just tell them, and they'll be happy to assist as best they can."

That was quite the speech, although the answer was similar to what the woman had said. He didn't give any hints that there might be more than that, so I wasn't entirely sure if I could trust him or not.

This might be a good opportunity to drop some false leads for my altered behavior while seeing if I could pry some information out of him at the same time.

"I'd rather they didn't know. Looks of sympathy aren't something I do well with. As it is, the smell of humans here is so strong that I can practically cut it into bricks and build a castle. How come you don't seem bothered by it?"

He looked thoughtful. "You once commented that you were becoming more accustomed to the smell of humans, even though you'd only been traveling with them for a couple of weeks. I've always been around them, so I barely notice it unless my instincts get triggered or the bloodlust becomes stronger than usual. I suspect it'll bother you less as time goes by." He glanced at me as a thought hit him. "You aren't having any problems with control, are you?"